Dental stimulator



Oct 31, R. M .s1R c 2,527,857

DENTAL STIMULATOR filed June 10, 1948 INVENTOR. RONALD M- $7'RACHAN am. mwwrgm Arron/vs Y8 Patented Oct. 31, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DENTAL STIMULATOR}. Ronald M. Strachan, Cleveland, Ohio Application June 10, 1948,seri 1 No. 32,161

j invention relates to improvements in dental instruments and more particularly to a device for accomplishing interdental stimulation.

Interdental stimulation comprises the exertion of pressure against the interdental tissues -so as to cause the blood to flow in .and out of the capillaries and thereby to stimulate the gums and tissue. Stimulation has heretofore been attempted by means of a toothbrush, a

wooden toothpick or with a rubber tip mounted upon a handle, and in each instance the procedure has been to insert the implement into an interproximal space and to exert a pressure against the interdental tissue sufficiently to force out the old blood and then to release the pressure, thereby allowing fresh blood to flow into lihood of the toothpick point breaking off and embeddin itself in the tissue, particularly where the tissue is inflamed and is relatively soft. An advantage of the wooden toothpick, however, is that it has sufficient rigidity to exert the desired amount of pressure, whereas the toothbrush bristle or a soft rubber tip is apt to bend and thereby to effect stimulation only on the outer regions of the tissue adjacent the interproximal spaces.

An object of the present invention is to retain the advantages of rigidity that are inherent in the use of a wooden toothpick and at the same time to protect the end of the pick and to present a relatively yielding surface which may be used satisfactorily upon inflamed tissue without danger of infection.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a round wooden toothpick, the drawing bein substantially twice the size of the ordinary toothpick; Fig. 2 is a view showing the toothpick with a coating of sizing material which constitutes a step in carrying out the method'of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the toothpick with a coatin of flexible material on each 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-430) 2 end, and Fig. 4. is a section taken on the plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

The toothpick with which the present invention is illustrated constitutes an ordinary round polished toothpick indicated at [0 as having a cylindrical-body and pointed ends. The first step in the manufacture of a device embodying the present invention is to place a coating of sizin material II on each end of the toothpick Of suitable character to obtain'adequate bonding of a rubber-like sheath to the wood. The sizing material preferably comprises an adhesive in liquid form andinto which the ends of the toothpick are dipped. A satisfactory adhesive is that having the trade designation FIG-8'70 sold by The Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota. Such adhesive embodies a cement having a base of rubber-like material having thermo-plastic properties which begins to flow when heated to about 240 F. I prefer to thin such adhesive to about a 50% solution with a diluent, such as toluene. After the toothpick is dipped in the adhesive, or sizing material aforesaid, it is air dried at room temperature. one end is dipped and partially dried before the other end is dipped so as to prevent the sizing material from dripping or covering any more than a predetermined portion of the toothpick.

The next step in the preparation of the stimulator is to provide a flexible, resilient coating for each end of the toothpick. The coating which I prefer to use has a latex base together with other ingredients which operate to give the desired degree of rigidity to the latex and to make it retain the pointed form as shown in Fig. 3. I have found that best results are obtained if the total solids content of the latex is between 62% and 66% by weight.

A formula which has been found to produce satisfactory results in the use of latex, as aforesaid, embodies ingredients by weight, as follows:

Parts Latex Sulphur 1.25 Zinc oxide .50 Age resistor .50 Butyl zimate .50 Vanillin (perfume) .10

- (Color added to suit) The age resistor is an anti-oxidant consisting of di-beta naphthyl-paraphenylene diamine. The coloring material may be a vegetable coloring dye and may be added in the amount necessary to It is to .be understood that obtain any color or shade desired. Inasmuch as the device is intended for use in the mouth where the taste of latex may be objectionable, I may, if desired, sweeten the material by the addition of corn sugar.

After the coating I2 is applied, it is cured for one-half hour at a temperature of 240 F. This is sufiicient to produce a coatin that i flexible and resilient, yet is sufiiciently rigid to effect interdental stimulation in a satisfactory manner.

An advantage of a stimulator made in accordance with the present invention is the fact that a patient can readily use it safely for interdental stimulation. Little or no kill is required in mastering a technique for it is only necessary for the patient to insert the point into the interproximal space and either to pump the side of theinserted portion upwardly anddownwardly ;to flow into the capillary. This can readily be performed by a patient who may be engaged in stantially to the conformation of the member, and

the mid-section of the member being uncoated. RONALD M. STRACHAN.

REFERENCES CITED The'following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 106,773 Blake Aug. 30,1870 201,022 La Fonte Man-5, 1878 1,746,591 Heymann et a1. Feb. 11, 1930 1,996,205 Jackson Apr. 2,1935

OTHER REFERENCES Thomas; Effective Interdental Stimulation," Journal American Dental Association, May 1942, pp. 741-3.

The Vanderbilt News, May-June 1947, page 25. 

